Learned my lesson

CricketClover
CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
edited November 19 in Food and Nutrition
Last night we went to On the Border mexican restaurant. I thought I was doing good by ordering two of the grilled fish tacos. When I got home I went to put them into my diary, and when I looked it up on here someone had them as 600 cals, meh not too bad I guess. BUT THEN I go to the On the Border site and look them up, for two tacos they have it as 1150 cals :o !!! How is that even possible for two grilled fish tacos!?

So from now on, I am most definitely going to look up nutrition info for restaurants before going anywhere. Does anyone else have a similar story of surprising high cal restaurant food for the rest of us to avoid?? :)

Replies

  • MeganKyGirl82
    MeganKyGirl82 Posts: 110 Member
    O'Charleys. Ugh. Ordered this chicken apple salad thing once without really looking at what I was ordering .... over 1000 calories. FOR A SALAD. Turns out most of their food ranges in the bizarrely high range of calories.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    My boyfriend ordered this giant greasy brisket quesadilla and it was 1290, I kinda would have expected that, but for it too only be 140 more than my tacos makes me sick!

    Salads at restaurants are the worst, I do not see how they can pack so many cals into them!
  • MeganKyGirl82
    MeganKyGirl82 Posts: 110 Member
    I can imagine. I was a little gullible back then. Now I'm a bit of a Google nazi, searching calorie counts in the car ride to the restaurant if I'm not driving. Ridiculous isn't it?
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
    Cafe Nero Caramel latte ... cream version... just short of 500 cals . Luckily it's a 9 mile walk to the nearest cafe
  • ArkMom35
    ArkMom35 Posts: 225 Member
    Sonic milkshakes. Last year my husband and I would have 1-2 a week for half-price. Now I know they have at least 1000 calories in them! Craziness.

    I always always always check on my phone before ordering anything now.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,230 Member
    edited June 2015
    @mkwrose Did you eat the rice? Coz the nutritional info includes the side of rice.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    kygirl8282 wrote: »
    I can imagine. I was a little gullible back then. Now I'm a bit of a Google nazi, searching calorie counts in the car ride to the restaurant if I'm not driving. Ridiculous isn't it?

    I usually do look stuff up, but it was a last minute decision and I was driving (plus it is only about a mile away). I am glad they don't have their margaritas on listed on their site, I am just letting yesterday go and starting new today! :D
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    markiend wrote: »
    Cafe Nero Caramel latte ... cream version... just short of 500 cals . Luckily it's a 9 mile walk to the nearest cafe

    9 mile walk! Must be some good stuff to walk 9 miles for.

    If I got out for lunch at work I always walk, makes me feel better about it.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    @mkwrose Did you eat the rice? Coz the nutritional info includes the side of rice.

    I ate some of the rice and maybe a fork full of the beans. I also didn't use much of the creamy sauce that was on the side but I think there was some already on the tacos.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I look stuff up before i leave for the restaurant so i can make it fit into my day or i consider it my treat meal for the week
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    Yep- Macaroni Grill Parmesan crusted sole- over 1300 cals and that's just the entree! Luckily I checked it out beforehand. But I'd eaten it before- and had no idea it was so incredibly caloric.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    It's fine... one high calorie dinner won't end your life. Nor will it make you fat. Fat doesn't just OCCUR overnight.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    North44 wrote: »
    Yep- Macaroni Grill Parmesan crusted sole- over 1300 cals and that's just the entree! Luckily I checked it out beforehand. But I'd eaten it before- and had no idea it was so incredibly caloric.

    That sounds delicious though. I love parmesan crusted anything.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    I eat out several times a week and yep, ALWAYS check restaurant's websites before you go, and look up calorie info. Also learned that the hard way a while back :p
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Salads are often just as bad if not worse on calories and fat; most of which is in the dressing and other various toppings. You think you are making a healthier choice, but those add-ons really add up.
  • professionalHobbyist
    professionalHobbyist Posts: 1,316 Member
    I love the calorie lookup

    I use it when grocery shopping in the fish market.

    I even google how to cook things when shopping.

    Eating smarter has been an adventure.

    I remember looking at fennel and wondering what the heck do you do with that!

  • MeganKyGirl82
    MeganKyGirl82 Posts: 110 Member
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »
    Salads are often just as bad if not worse on calories and fat; most of which is in the dressing and other various toppings. You think you are making a healthier choice, but those add-ons really add up.

    SO TRUE
  • PositivelyFlawed
    PositivelyFlawed Posts: 316 Member
    edited June 2015
    small cadbury cream egg mcflurry at Mcdonalds. I knew it wasn't a healthy choice, but i thought its so small, maybe 400 or 500 calories! Lol it was 800 or 850, around there. i about died. haha. Lesson learned.
  • dfranch
    dfranch Posts: 207 Member
    I hate to say, I tend to only go to chain restaurants now because I can get calorie info online. If I go to a local place, I tend to get steak or grilled chicken. Just to make it easier to estimate calories.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    dfranch wrote: »
    I hate to say, I tend to only go to chain restaurants now because I can get calorie info online. If I go to a local place, I tend to get steak or grilled chicken. Just to make it easier to estimate calories.

    There's a couple local places we go to once in a while that doesn't have nutritional info available and I do like you do-stick to simple dishes that I can estimate pretty accurately. We went out to a local mom n pop place for breakfast on Memorial Day and I got two eggs and bacon-played it safe there lol.

  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    ArkMom35 wrote: »
    Sonic milkshakes. Last year my husband and I would have 1-2 a week for half-price. Now I know they have at least 1000 calories in them! Craziness.

    I went to Steak and Shake and knowing that I was giving myself a 500 calorie or so treat, I ordered a Birthday Cake shake. NOPE. 870 calories in that sucker. -_-

    I live next to one of the most famous custard shops in the U.S. I'm not even looking up that info. I'm just going to visit very, very sparingly and savor every bite. Ignorance can be bliss...

  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I will second the idea of ordering a steak or grilled chicken when dining out. I mostly never go to chain restaurants on general principal, but I have been known to get a small sirloin at Longhorn Steakhouse. I can fit that in to my calorie allotment pretty well.
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    maniacallaugh wrote: »
    ArkMom35 wrote: »
    Sonic milkshakes. Last year my husband and I would have 1-2 a week for half-price. Now I know they have at least 1000 calories in them! Craziness.

    I went to Steak and Shake and knowing that I was giving myself a 500 calorie or so treat, I ordered a Birthday Cake shake. NOPE. 870 calories in that sucker. -_-

    I live next to one of the most famous custard shops in the U.S. I'm not even looking up that info. I'm just going to visit very, very sparingly and savor every bite. Ignorance can be bliss...

    I would be in trouble if there was a gourmet burger place next to where I live. The sweet treats do not tempt me as much as burger and fries. :)
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    mkwrose wrote: »
    maniacallaugh wrote: »
    ArkMom35 wrote: »
    Sonic milkshakes. Last year my husband and I would have 1-2 a week for half-price. Now I know they have at least 1000 calories in them! Craziness.

    I went to Steak and Shake and knowing that I was giving myself a 500 calorie or so treat, I ordered a Birthday Cake shake. NOPE. 870 calories in that sucker. -_-

    I live next to one of the most famous custard shops in the U.S. I'm not even looking up that info. I'm just going to visit very, very sparingly and savor every bite. Ignorance can be bliss...

    I would be in trouble if there was a gourmet burger place next to where I live. The sweet treats do not tempt me as much as burger and fries. :)

    Ah, and there's a bit of Murphy's Law. If it were a burger joint, I could resist it. It's the smell of the sugar in the air of our neighborhood that nearly gets me every time.
  • TaurianDoll
    TaurianDoll Posts: 111 Member
    I try to balance out eating at restaurants with working out on the days that I think we may end up at a chain restaurant. I know my weight training days leave me with a serious caloric deficit so I save the trips to Chik Fil A or someplace like that for those days.

    I usually have a good handle on my eating schedule, even with a baby. So if I'm doing a lot of running around, I try to plan accordingly and eat something responsible at home. I've just resolved it in my mind that everything at a chain restaurant has a high calorie count.

  • las07s
    las07s Posts: 150 Member
    When I was in college, my roommate and I would go to the Chili's on campus and get the Quesadilla Explosion salad when we craved vegetables too much to live anymore. We loved the taste of it, and thought (despite the quesadillas) how much calories could a salad have?? +1100 calories!!! We did it for almost a year, maybe 2-3 times a month before we figured it out. :tongue:
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